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Patches For 'Silent Hunter II' & 'Destroyer Command' Available NOW

We are aware that there are some problems with the AI routines and multiplayer functions in Destroyer Command and Silent Hunter II. We are currently working on a set of patches to address the more serious issues. We also know that many of you are frustrated because the patch required enabling multiplayer sessions between Silent Hunter II and Destroyer Command has not been released yet. We had planned on the patch being ready by the time Destroyer Command was to arrive on the retail shelves, but unfortunately we discovered some serious problems that have required further testing and development work to make the interoperability between the two products function properly.

Please understand that we are concentrating on fixing the major problems and not smaller bugs at this time. Future patches to address the less critical areas will be seriously considered. Announcements will be made on our various product websites concerning future patches.

Both of these products have had difficult times in development and we have worked very hard on them. We apologize for the problems and pledge that we are doing our best to make good. We care about our products and we care about the community that buys these products. We ask that you be patient and continue to post constructive reports of problems on the various fan sites and forums that exist for users on the Internet.

Destroyer Command - Patch 1.1

FIXES

Patch includes a missing file that caused the "Vessel Identification" viewer to crash

Fixed a crash that occurred when many simultaneous sound effects were played on certain Win98/ME systems with Soundblaster Live! or Audigy soundcards

You can now "focus" sonar on submarines by clicking on the submerged contact in the CIC or depth charge screen. This makes the sonar operator update the contact more frequently on the plot. The contact will flash blue indicating that it has sonar "focus". Click again to "defocus".

Depth charge screen now displays course/depth/speed for submerged contacts that have sonar focus.

Sliding panels work smoother (no more auto pinning).

Compasses in both the helm station and sliding navigation panel are now clickable to order a new heading.

Formation changing smarter, friendly ships less likely to smash into each other.

Submarines will now evade enemy attack more often.

Submarines will surface and charge batteries or air when they are depleted (and stay surfaced when charging batteries).

AI task forces/convoys will now detach closest ASW subgroup (instead of the first ASW subgroup) to chase subs.

If pursuing ASW subgroup is destroyed, another ASW subgroup will be detached.

Enemy aircraft will now initiate attacks against submarines spotted at periscope depth.

Entire flights of enemy torpedo bombers will now attack by having all planes drop torpedoes instead of one.

AI task forces/convoys will now detach the closest (instead of the next group in order) ASW subgroup to chase subs.

If pursuing ASW subgroup is destroyed, another ASW subgroup will be detached.

Air-dropped depth charges explode at 25ft vs 50ft depth, making them more effective against surfaced boats.

(squad) Sink the Yamato - Same as co-op, except a maximum of 4 players.

(co-op) Tokyo Express - Turned into a squad game, supporting up to 3 players each with 4 destroyers. Changed enemy force. Moved scenario to "The Slot" in the Solomons, and shortened distance between groups.

(squad) Samar Scuffle - Moved all groups closer together, added reach objective in middle for use as a landmark.

ERRATA

When attempting to host a game under Windows 2000 or XP (operating systems which are unsupported by both Destroyer Command and its third-party networking engine), the game may occasionally drop to desktop (or DCLauncher) as soon as the "Start Server" button is clicked.

Workaround: Try hosting under Windows 98 or Win ME.
While in control of a single destroyer, ordering an "Evasive" ROE will cause your destroyer to get stuck in Evasive mode. You can stop maneuvering by a manual rudder command, but travel using waypoints will continue to be evasive.

Silent Hunter II - Patch 1.1

MULTIPLAYER SUPPORT

The primary purpose of this patch is to introduce multiplayer support to Silent Hunter II. This includes the following features:

Added support for multiplayer with other SH2 users.

Added support for multiplayer with DC users.

Added support for the ubi.com matchmaking service.

Clients that lose connection will now automatically attempt to reconnect to the server. Note that if the server has to recreate the unit for a reconnected client, it may pause the game momentarily.

FIXES

Fixed problem with interface file corruption on some Windows 2000 and XP systems.

Fixed intermittent crash in damage control station on Windows 2000 and XP systems

Fixed problem involving the "spawning" of surface ships in scenarios. This fixes a crash in the "Fortress Europe" mission.

Moved storage of interface textures from system memory to video memory. This fixes an occasional game slowdown or crash on certain combinations of Windows 95/98/ME systems and Nvidia video cards.

Fixed a crash that occurred when many simultaneous sound effects were played on certain Win98/ME systems with Soundblaster Live! or Audigy soundcards

Fixed intermittent crash caused when aircraft targeted while the AI is manning the deck gun. Additionally, the deck gun will now no longer fire at aircraft when "Man the deck gun" is selected.

Fixed a bug in the Vehicle Viewer that caused a crash on exit on some systems.

"Auxiliary Cruiser" mission has had significant changes made to unit dispositions, and had its briefing updated.

"Western Approaches" no longer has a British task force running aground on a small island.

"Fortress Europe" now features extensive enemy air cover.

In "Drumbeat," "Blitzkrieg," and "Fortress Europe," tonnage credit for sunk merchants will no longer disappear after several days of playing.

DOCUMENTATION

A 'documentation' directory will be created in the Silent Hunter II install directory. This directory will contain the following documents:

SH2Multiplayer.pdf Documentation for the multiplayer

SH2Manual.pdf An electronic version of the game manual

Shortcuts to these documents will be added to the Silent Hunter II Start Menu group

ERRATA

When attempting to host a multiplayer game under Windows 2000 or XP (operating systems which are unsupported by both Silent Hunter II and its third-party networking engine), the game may occasionally drop to desktop (or SH2 Screen Blanker) as soon as the "Start Server" button is clicked.
Workaround: Try again, the server will generally start successfully on the next attempt.

When hosting a game under Windows 2000 or XP, the host may disconnect from the server (disconnect from itself) as a result of a network error. Workaround: Try hosting under Win98 or WinME.